Just four months after the assassination of her husband, Jacqueline Kennedy sat down for a series of recorded interviews with historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. For over 8 hours, Mrs. Kennedy answered Schlesinger's questions. She spoke about her husband, her family, and the historic events of her husband's unfortunately brief administration. The only stipulation was that the transcripts and recordings of these conversations were not to be released until after her death and only when her children deemed their release appropriate. Now, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Kennedy administration, the transcripts and audio recordings are made available here in Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy.
If you have even a passing interest in the Kennedy years, this book is a must read and a must have. Following the death of her husband, Mrs. Kennedy rarely spoke publicly about her time in the White House and the death of her husband and she died without ever having written an autobiography. These recorded conversations with Schlesinger are appropriately regarded then as a rare glimpse into her very private world and are nothing less than a historical treasure. What I found most compelling about the recorded conversations were the numerous anecdotes about her husband that illustrate his love for his family, his capacity to forgive, and his genuine interest in the poor and less fortunate.
The print version of Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy comes with cds of the audio recordings. Even better, the e-book version includes not only the audio recordings but rarely seen video footage of the Kennedy family.
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